An Angel's Tale
by Yuzuru's-Angel
Summary: An alternate story, where 16-year-old Tomoshibi Kawari finds himself in the "Afterlife", where he befriends Angel, and finds himself in a battle against an unknown group of students. Without a memory, will he survive the "Afterlife"? Story discontinued.
1. Awakening

**Angel Beats!**

**An Angel's Tale**

**Note: This is my first anime Fanfic, and I decided to do it for my favorite new anime, Angel Beats! Reviews and suggestions are appreciated, and I hope you enjoy it! I plan for this story to have about 15-20 chapters or so, so check in for more whenever you can!**

**Chapter One**

**Awakening**

I wake up with a start, finding myself looking up at a partially clouded night sky. Slowly, I sit up to observe my surroundings. Nothing looks familiar around me.

I try to think of a reason for me being out in front of what appears to be a school, but my mind is blank.

_Why can't I remember anything? _I think to myself, standing up quickly and looking around for somebody who could tell me where I was, but I find nobody.

It isn't until I look down at the field below that I find a girl standing there, her long white hair and tan-colored uniform sticking out in the surrounding concrete.

Without hesitation, I briskly head down the steps and I walk towards her. When she hears my steps and turns towards me, I notice that her face has a blank expression in it, her dull-yellow eyes gleaming in the starlight.

"Um...Excuse me, do you mind telling me where I am?" I ask her, rubbing the back of my head in slight embaressment.

"This place has no name." she answers with an emotionless voice, staring stare ahead, unmoving in the stillness of the night.

I tilt my head in confusion. "What do you mean this place doesn't have a name? Do you know why I'm here, and why I can't remember anything?"

She continues to stare at me, and I gulp, beginning to get nervous under by her gaze. "Memory loss is a common thing here." she answers.

"Memory loss?" I ask confused. She nods slightly, and says, "You are dead."

"Dead?" I mutter, feeling it's unreasonableness as it slips over my tongue. However, the girl's stern and serious expression causes me to shiver slightly.

She simply nods once again. "Who are you?" I ask. She tilts her head slightly, as if I had asked an idiotic question. "My name is Tachibana Kanade, I am the Student Council President."

_Tachibana..._I think, _It's a beautiful name. _ However, the mentioning of being Student Council President seemed so out of place at that moment.

I notice that she is still staring at me, and I quickly say, "Oh, my name is..." My words drift off as I begin to search for my name.

"Sorry, I can't remember my name." I state, hoping she would understand. She simply nods, then turns and begins to walk away. "Wait!" I say, walking up to her.

She turns towards me again. "I was wondering if you could-" I begin to say, but I suddenly realise she's not looking at me.

Turning around, I see nothing. "What are you-" I try to ask, but I suddenly hear a loud _bang,_ followed by a flash of light. Something zips past me at lightning speed, and I quickly turn towards Tachi...

...Just as something pierces through her heart, entering and leaving her body, leaving a bleeding hole. "Tachibana!" I shout, taking a step towards her. However, I see her expression and I stop.

She seems unaffected by it, although I can see slight pain in her blank face. Tachi continues to stare out in the distance to where the shot was fired.

"Guard Skill: Distortion." she mutters, and I move back in disbelief as a blue glow moves over her, then leaves. Another shot is fired, but it simply moves around her body, and shoots out behind her.

"Wh-What's going on?" I ask, looking at Tachi, confused. "You should leave." she simply states, moving past me and walking towards the source of the shots.

I stand there for a few moments, watching as she walks away. _There's no way I can just leave her! _I think.

With a gulp, I quickly run to catch up with her. When I get to her, I begin tell her, "Tachibana, I can help you with-"

She turns around suddenly, and, as I see her face, my blood goes cold. Her eyes appear to be full of a deep rage from inside of her. "Hand Sonic." she mutters, and, to my surprise, a blade appears seemingly out of nowhere onto her hand, giving off a gleaming light as it comes out.

Tachi points the blade at me, and I quickly take a step back, surprised at her sudden ferocity. "I told you that you should leave." she says to me.

"But-" I begin to say, but she thrusts the blade towards me, and I quickly jump back. Looking at Tachi now, I can tell that she isn't in much of a talking mood.

After a few moments, I turn and I begin to briskly walk away, eventually getting into a run. When I reach the other side of the field, I turn and I look back.

Loud _bangs _begin to sound, and bullets begin to fly in every direction. For a few moments, I stand there, watching the shower of bullets cover the night sky.

Suddenly, a bullet flies by me, inches away from my head, and I suddenly realise that I'm still in danger here. I quickly begin to make my way up the stairs, as bullets begin to _zoom_ past me one by one.

When I reach the top of the stairs, I feel a sharp pain go through my left shoulder. Looking at it, I see a mark where a bullet had hit me.

I grit my teeth in pain, holding onto the wound, feeling the blood ooze onto my hand. I turn once again to face the bright show of bullets, when I hear footsteps coming at me rapidly from the left.

Turning, all I have time to see is the shining metal of a large axe as it falls upon me.

I wake up suddenly, gasping and fumbling my hands over my body. After a few moments, I begin to calm down, and my breath starts to slow.

Looking around, I realise that I'm in a bed in some kind of hospital, the bright sunlight pouring through the windows. Besides me, I could see nobody else in the room.

Standing, I notice that my dark green uniform I had been wearing before was gone, and was replaced with a simple white t-shirt.

I begin to walk towards the door to the room, but I jump back when it's suddenly opened. I give a sigh of relief when I see that it is only Tachi.

She closes the door behind her, and begins to stare at me as she had done before. Now, it's hard to imagine her doing anything out of the ordinary of any kind, or even being the target of a bad group of people.

As the sunlight hits Tachi, she seemingly begins to shine, and I realise just how beautiful the girl in front of me is.

"How are you feeling?" she asks in her still emotionless voice. I begin to pat my shoulder, then my stomach, where I had felt the pain before I had blacked out, then I nod.

Tachi nods back, then walks up to me and holds her hand out. In the palm of her hand is a small, silver object of some kind. "I think you dropped this." she says, and I take it out of her hand to examine it.

Now that I look at it, it's a coin of some sort, with specific words on each side. It reads, "Itobana High School 2009." Something inside me makes me believe it is mine, but I'm not exactly sure.

"I must have had this in my pocket when I..." I begin to say, then I feel myself shiver a little as I say, "Died."

Tachi nods, then turns and walks towards the door. Opening it, she begins to step out into the hall. Suddenly, I feel a flash of memory come across my mind. "Wait!" I say, and she turns towards me.

"My name...Is Tomoshibi Kawara." I say, realising finally what my name was. Angel nods, then mumbles, "Tomoshibi..." before walking out into the hall and disappearing.

**To Be Continued****...**

**Did you like it? If you did, please review! Even do so if you didn't like it, I'm always open for ideas! I'll put up Chapter Two in not too long, so stay tuned!**


	2. First Memory

**Angel Beats!**

**An Angel's Tale**

**Chapter Two**

**First Memory**

A couple of hours after Angel had left, I had decided to take a walk around the area, so I can get familiar with it.

As I walked out of the hospital room, I could instantly see a buzz of activity happening all around. Students were talking to one another, and walking to their classes. Well, most of them anyways...

A few of them stand out, walking in a slouched manner, talking and shouting loudly with one another, and, strangely, one has a large axe over his shoulder. After a few moments of examining it, I come to a sudden realization...

"Hey!" I shout at him as loud as I can, and, to my surprise, the group hears me and turns towards me. With a feeling of anger, I rush towards them, and, when I arrive, I find the axe pointing directly at me within a split second.

"Get back, unless you want me to kill you again!" he snarls, and I just take a step back and begin to glare at him. A girl moves forward and tilts his axe to the side. "Wait." she says.

With a final glare, he hangs the axe back over his shoulder and walks back into the group. The girl looks at me, as if examining me, for a few moments, before saying, "You must be new here. My name is Yurippe."

I nod, and she steps back, folding her arms, and looking at me as if disappointed. "I heard that you were getting friendly with Angel," she says, "Is it true?"

I tilt my head in confusion. "Who's Angel?" I ask, and Yurippe simply hangs her head and sighs. "I guess you'd know her as...Hm...I think it was...Tachibana?"

The name hits me, and I nod. "Yeah, that girl who seemed like she couldn't show much emotion, and she had those strange powers..."

Yurippe simply laughs, and the whole group behind her follows. "Of course she can't show emotion, she's just an angel that was sent here to stop us from getting our revenge." she states, as if I was the biggest idiot there ever was.

"Revenge on who?" I ask, and she looks at me with an even more unbelievable expression. Yurippe sighs, then points up to the sky and states, "God."

* * *

The group took me into the cafeteria, and we began to eat. I decided to just choose something at random, and what I chose made them gasp and tell me that I should choose something else.

"Why? What's wrong with this?" I ask. With a sigh, a boy with blue hair at the table explains to me, "Nobody ever orders mapo doufu because it's super spicy, and most people eat it with rice to buffer the pain, but it'd still be super spicy no matter what."

Looking down now at the reddish-orange food in front of me, I gulp. Dipping my spoon into it, I raise it to my mouth to take a bite...

...When I suddenly notice somebody in the corner of the cafeteria, sitting alone and eating their lunch. Instantly, I recognize it to be Tachi.

Without hesitation, I drop my spoon into the bowl and I stand and begin to walk towards Tachi's table. Instantly, I find the tip of the axe pointing at me from the side, and I hear a chair scoot out as Yurippe stands and glares at me, her hands on her hips.

"Where do you think you're going?!" she says in disbelief. I sigh, shaking my head, and I simply state, "I'm going to sit with a friend."

I can sense the anger coming from Yurippe as she tells me, "If you do that you'll disappear!" That makes me tilt my head questioningly, and everybody in the group behind her nods.

"Disappear?..." I say, and she nods, pointing over at Tachi and saying, "If you accept a normal student life, you're bound to disappear, and you'll live the rest of your days as a barnacle!"

I couldn't resist laughing at those last words. The idea of all of that seemed crazy. "Well, I guess I'll live my days as a barnacle then." I say mockingly, which makes the guy with the axe attempt to slice at me.

However, I was ready for it, and I quickly moved to the side to avoid it, then, I walked over to Tachi's table, leaving the loud-mouth and insane group behind.

"I'll kill you a thousand times for this!" he yells after me, adding on, "That is, if you don't disappear before I get to you!" Shaking my head, I sigh, and I just keep on walking.

When I get there, Tachi continues to stare down at her food and eat. "Tachi?" I say, and she looks up from her food at me, as if just now noticing I was here. "Tomoshibi..." she says, and I give a polite wave to her.

"I figured I'd come sit with you, seeing as, well..." I look around the cafeteria, "You appear to be alone." She takes another sip of her mapo then looks up and nods.

It takes a few minutes before I get the guts to try the mapo, seeing as though Tachi could eat it with such ease. As soon as I took the bite, I was gulping at my water uncontrollably. After a few moments, the heat wore off, and I suddenly got a rich and very delicious taste in my mouth.

"Wow, this is delicious!" I exclaim, taking another bite, but being forced to gulp down more water before my mouth cools down. Tachi nods, and continues to eat.

After a few moments of watching her eat, I say cheerfully, "Well, I guess you really like mapo doufu, don't you?" She looks up at me, then looks down at the doufu.

"I guess I never realized..." she says, putting a spoonful up to the light coming in from the windows, "That I liked it..." For a moment, I sense a hint of a smile upon her face, although it doesn't show, as she takes another bite of her mapo doufu.

* * *

After lunch, I followed Tachi to the classroom, and, as I was about to leave, she turned to be and said,  
"Aren't you coming to class?"

I looked back at her for a few moments, and, after a few moments of just staring at each other, I sigh, and follow her into the classroom.

Tachi sat at the front-right desk, and there happened to be an open seat behind her, so I sat there. After a few moments of just listening to the other students talking, I decided to ask her, "Do you know who those strange students are here?"

She turns to look at me, then nods. "They seem...Different. Why Is that?" I ask, and she looks down at the floor and answers, "They're like you."

I gulp. "You mean they're dead?" Tachi nods, then looks up and turns back around when the door to the classroom opens, and the teacher comes in.

"Alright, everybody, in your seats." he says in a gruff voice, heading up to the front of the class as the students shuffle into their seats.

I felt at ease during class, feeling as though I belonged, and that I wasn't dead at all. Something clicked in my mind, and I suddenly had an urge to take the coin out of my pocket.

Looking at it, with it's words inscribed on it that read, "Itobana High School 2009", I suddenly vaguely began to remember something. I closed my eyes to see if that would help, and...

* * *

I find myself enveloped in darkness, nothing around me, and with a feeling of drifting through an empty space.

"Tomo," a voice says through the dark, "Why are you leaving?" The voice seems familiar to me, but I can't quite make out who it might be.

"I told you, it's dangerous for me to be here now." I hear myself say, although hearing myself talk gives me an eerie feeling.

The darkness begins to slightly clear, and I can make out the face of a girl, who looks about my age. Her hair is long, and has a deep, dark-blue color to it, and her eyes are a light purple color, almost pink. Although I can't exactly remember who it is, I can tell she's very, very beautiful.

I see a tear roll down her face, and I watch as my hand moves out to brush it off her face. "Don't worry, I'll see you again some day." I hear myself say, and she rubs her eyes.

"I'll make it my personal responsibility to come back to you." I hear myself state, putting my hand to her cheek, and I see her begin to smile, putting her hands onto mine.

"Tomo..." she says, and suddenly, I return back to darkness....

* * *

"Tomoshibi." I hear, and I lift my head up suddenly to find Tachi turned in her desk, looking at me. Looking around, I realize that I must have fell asleep.

"You shouldn't fall asleep in class." Tachi says, and I nod. "S-Sorry..." I apologize, and she turns back around. I rub my eyes, which are a little dreary from sleep, while the teacher continues on with his lesson.

_What was that? _I think, _Who was that girl? _My first recovered memory, and It didn't really give a clue to how I might have died. However, it did introduce somebody from my past, which is still a step towards finding out who I am.

I was going through the memory in my mind, when I suddenly heard, "Tomoshibi." Looking up, Angel was standing, looking down at me. "Class is over." she states.

Looking around, I notice that the class is empty. "Oh." I say, standing and following Tachi out of the classroom. As we walked through the halls, I decided to apologize again. "Sorry for falling asleep in class like that, I just felt a little exhausted for some reason." I tell her, rubbing the back of my head shyly.

She stops and turns to look at me, and I find myself in another one of her constant stares. After a few moments, she simply states, "Things happen." Then, she starts walking again.

With a sigh, I catch up with her, and I begin walking beside her. My mind begins to wander when I suddenly hear a loud _bang_ come from behind, followed by the sound of tearing threads.

I find myself standing in one place, and Tachi turns to me, looking down at my chest. It's then that I look down as well, and I see the hole in my shirt, and the blood coming out of it.

I feel my legs go numb, and I fall to my knees. "Guard Skill: Hand Sonic." I hear, and, out of the corner of my eye, I see the blade appear at Tachi's arm.

I then find myself falling to the ground, my vision starting to fade. I begin to hear more shots from behind, and I hear the sound of feet running by me.

"Only nine-hundred ninety-nine to go." I hear somebody snarl from above me, and I suddenly feel myself grabbed and beginning to be carried. As I watch the ground moving past below me, my vision begins to fade once again...

**To Be Continued****...**


	3. Tornado

**Angel Beats!**

**An Angel's Tale**

**Chapter Three**

**Tornado**

I woke up on a couch in an unfamiliar room, and I could hear voices talking back and forth to one another.

I sit up, and I feel my chest to see if the wound was still there, but it isn't. Looking around the room, I see that everybody is looking at me.

"Looks like he's finally awake." somebody says, and I turn to see that the blue-haired boy from earlier is standing near me.

"Good." I hear a familiar voice say, and I look over at the front of the room to see Yurippe, sitting in a chair at a large desk.

She slams her hands down on the desk suddenly, and shouts at me, "If you don't listen to us, then you'll disappear forever! Don't you care?"

I flinch at her sudden harsness, but I answer coolly, "I haven't disappeared yet, have I?" Suddenly, I see the shining metal of an axe pointing in my direction.

"Don't talk to Yurippe like that!" the same guy from earlier says with fire in his eyes. Yurippe does a dismissing wave to him, and says,"Stop, Noda."

Noda continues to glare at me for a few more moments before dropping his axe and sighing, moving back to sit on the couch opposite of me, watching me intently.

Yurippe sighs and leans back, setting her feet on the desk in front of her. "It's true that you haven't disappeared..._yet. _But if you continue to be like a normal student, you eventually will." she explains.

I shake my head. "You guys don't seem to understand, Tachi is just a normal girl...Well, sort of." I try to explain to them.

I hear a laugh from behind, and I turn to see a brown-haired boy with a katana resting on his shoulder. "Normal? This guy's completely insane!" he says mockingly.

"Like you're one to talk." I mutter, and the boy steps forward, drawing his sword and pointing it at me menacingly. Suddenly, I hear somebody stand from behind, and, turning, I see the tip of the axe pointing at me as well.

"Hey, I'm the only one who gets to kill this guy!" Noda snarls, and the brown-haired boy simply laughs. "Come on, what are you going to do with that little toothpick?" he says.

"I'll show you what I'll do-" Noda begins to say, but Yurippe yells at them, "Noda! Fugimaki! Stop it!" Noda looks at me, then back to Fugimaki, then sits back down with a small growl of some kind.

Fugimaki sheaths his katana and leans back on the wall with a sigh. I see Yurippe shake her head, then she looks directly at me and says, "If you enlist with us, we can guarantee that you won't disappear."

I give a long, deep sigh. _They can't seem to understand how crazy they are, _I think. I then look up to tell Yurippe, "Thanks for the offer, but I don't need to be part of a group of odd people like you, that carry guns around and shoot at innocent girls."

Noda suddenly stands up and raises his axe. "That's it!" he yells, slamming down the axe. I barely move out of the way in time, and it leaves a clean slice in the couch.

Fugimaki steps forward, unsheathing his katana once again, and points it at Noda. "Hey, since you're Yurippe's pet, I think you should listen to her." he says in a mocking tone.

"That's it, I'm going to kill you a thousand times too!" Noda shouts, swinging his axe at Fugimaki. However, a girl suddenly appears in between them, grabbing the staff of the axe and holding it back.

"Get out of the way, Shiina. I've got this guy!" Fugimaki says, getting his katana ready, but Shiina simply shakes her head. "How shallow-minded." she says in a dark tone.

"Things aren't usually so tense around here." Yurippe says, and I turn to find her standing and walking towards me. "When you get used to everybody, it's actually a nice group." she explains.

She points at the blue-haired boy from earlier, "That's Hinata, he's a slob, but he pulls through every now and then." He gapes at her for her negative comment about him.

"Over there is Matsushita, he's a Judo Fifth Dan, so people call him Matsushita Fifth Dan out of respect." He turns to me and extends his hand, and I politely shake it. "Please to meet ya'." he says.

"This is Oyama, his specialty is that he has no specialty." Yurippe says, and I turn towards him to shake his hand as well. "Welcome to the battlefront." he says in a shy voice.

"That guy over there propping up his glasses to look smart is Takamatsu, but in reality, he's an idiot." she explains, and I turn to find a smart-looking boy standing nearby, propping up his glasses with a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Then, of course, Fugimaki, Noda, and Shiina." she says, pointing to the three who were still locked in pre-combat stances.

"Also, sitting over here, is Iwasawa, the leader of the diversionary group." I turn to find a girl sitting on the edge of the couch, and she nods her head to me in greetings.

I feel shocked at how much she resembles the girl from my memories, but I make sure not to show it. However, she still sees it in my face, and she tilts her head questioningly. I look away to clear my throat, so I can be away from her gaze.

Suddenly, a guy with blonde hair and a red bandanna comes up to me, doing some sort of dance of some kind. "Come on, let's dance!" he says, and I look at him questioningly.

"This is TK, and that's just his way of saying 'Hi'. He's a mysterious guy, and nobody knows his real name. He mainly speaks English." Yurippe explains, and I nod, still intrigued by the guy in front of me.

Yurippe then clears her throat and says, "Now that you've learned a little more about us, will you enlist?" I let out a sigh, and I shake my head.

"Why you-!" Noda says, trying to swing his axe at me, but still being held back by Shiina. I turn to Yurippe and I tell her, "I just can't see Tachi as being an enemy. Since I can't, there's no reason for me to be here, right?"

Yurippe looks at me for a few moments, then nods slightly, walking over and sitting at her desk once again. "Do whatever you want then, but if you change your mind, we're always going to be here." she says, lying back with her eyes closed.

With that said, I stood and walked to the door, hearing Noda behind me, struggling to get one last thrust at me before I leave. As I opened it and walked out into the hall, I hear Noda snarl, "See you later, barnacle."

Then, I closed the door.

* * *

"Huh? A rock concert?" I say to myself, looking at the flier on the wall. "Girls Dead Monster? That's an odd name for a band." I think aloud.

_This must be one of that group's schemes, _I think, glaring down at the flier. With an irritated sigh, I crumple it up and I begin to walk off.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of paper, and I turn to find Tachi taking a flier off the wall. After a few moments of her looking down at it, she eventually starts to take them down one by one along the wall.

"Oh, Tachibana, I didn't see you there." I say with a small smile. However, she continues to take down the fliers, staring at the wall as she goes.

With a sigh, I take the flier in front of me, and I tell her, "Could you use a hand?" This makes her look up at me and nod.

It took about ten minutes for us to go by and get all the fliers off the wall. While I was looking at the flier, I hear a cough come from my left side, and I turn to find that it was Tachi that had coughed.

_How can she be an angel if she seems so...Regular? _I think, realizing even more how the idea of her being an angel seems so impossible.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" I hear someone say from my right, and I turn to find a girl with long, pink hair and red eyes, glaring up at me.

"Uh, I was just-" She takes the fliers out of my hand, then says in a surprisingly dark tone, "You're take off my fliers, aren't you! Are you in league with Angel or something?"

She gives a quick and surprisingly powerful punch to my face, making me take a few steps back. Tachi turns to look at the girl, who just now notices that she's there.

The girl stands there for a few moments, then says, "Uh....", and quickly runs off, with Tachi looking on after her. Tachi then looks down at the fliers in her hand.

"So, I'm the bad guy..." she states, and I can't help but feel a little sympathy for her, seeing as though everybody wants to go against her.

I turn my head to look at where the girl disappeared. _She must be part of that group,_I think, _but I didn't see her there._

Turning back around, I begin to say, "Tachi, I-"...But she's gone.

* * *

Two hours later, I decided to take a walk outside. I could hear the sound of music being played inside of the cafeteria, and I began to wonder if Tachi would do anything to stop it.

The thought had just crossed my mind when I suddenly bumped into her along the bridge leading to the cafeteria. "Oh, Tachibana...I'm guessing you're going over there to stop them?" I ask, and she nods, continuing to walk.

I turned and began to follow her, when I suddenly heard a gunshot, and I saw a flash of light come from the stop of the cafeteria. A bullet flies into Angel's stomach, but she simply seems to ignore it as she says, "Guard Skill: Hand Sonic."

Once more, I see the blade appear at her arm. Another shot is fired, but she deflects it at such a fast speed that I barely have time to flinch.

Tachi turns her head towards me and says, "You should leave." Then, without a glance back, she begins to move forward on the bridge, deflecting the bullets fired from the roof of the cafeteria.

I stand there, watching her. _What should I do? _I think, wondering if she even needed any help. _No, I think she has it handled, _I think.

When she reaches the other end of the bridge, I see a group of people come out in front of her, and I notice Tachi's glow appear once more on her, then disappear.

_That's not good, _I think, as I see a flurry of gunfire erupt from in front of Tachi. However, the bullets simply seem to move around her, going all around in every direction. Including towards me.

I quickly run to take cover, watching as bullets fly by and light up the night sky. Eventually, I hear an explosion, and I look up to find a cloud of smoke enveloping the scene.

And, out of the windows of the cafeteria, thousands of little pieces of paper begin to fly out. _Are those...Meal tickets? _I think. _They did all this for meal tickets?_

I notice that the group begins to run away, leaving Tachi standing there, watching them go. Quickly, I run across the bridge to Tachi, and I say, out of breath, "Are you alright?"

She continues to look forward, then, suddenly, the blade disappears, and she turns to me and nods, then looks down at the ground and she walks out into the falling papers, which gave off a sort of rich glow in the starlight.

Seeing her in the middle of all of it, her beauty begins to shine once again. She looks up at the sky, and sticks her hand out, as if catching falling snow.

_This is the right path to take, _I think, _She's on the good side. _She then turns and looks at me, her golden eyes glittering slightly in the starlight.

I decide to walk up to her, and we seem to stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. Eventually, she looks forward, and moves past me.

Turning around, I watch as she walks away. Looking up at the sky, I reach out to grab a random meal ticket, and I read what food it was for...

...Mapo Doufu...

**To Be Continued****...**


	4. Interception

**Angel Beats!**

**An Angel's Tale**

**Chapter Four**

**Interception**

I had decided to stick around near the cafeteria to wait for the group to return, knowing that they'd come collect the tickets sooner or later. _I need to ask them some questions, _I had decided.

After about an hour of waiting, I was beginning to grow tired. _They must be cautious, seeing as though Tachi could still be here. _I think, looking around and hoping that they'd show up soon.

After giving an exasperated sigh, I finally decided to head back to the hospital room. However, I suddenly heard a _whoosh _as something came flying by, merely a few inches in front of me.

Looking to my right, I see a few dark figures emerge from the side of the building. One of them quickly runs at me, quicker than I've ever seen anybody run, and gives me a powerful hit to the chest, knocking me onto the ground.

Before I realize it, the person is on top of me, and I feel something sharp and metal on my neck. Looking up, I suddenly see who the person was.

"Sh-Shiina? It's me!" I say, but I simply feel the metal move closer to my skin, almost at the point of cutting me. _She doesn't remember me! _I think.

"Wait!" I hear a deep voice come from behind, and Shiina turns her head to the left and stands, walking back away from me.

Standing up quickly, and rubbing my neck where the blade had been, I turn to see Matsushita standing there, with Fujimaki and TK behind him.

"Tomoshibi, wasn't it?" he says, and, when I nod, he asks, "What are you doing here?" I turn my head to glare at Shiina for a few moments, who has her arms crossed and seems uninterested in anything that was going on.

"I was waiting for some of you to come along." I explain, and Matsushita nods understandingly. He then states, "I'm assuming you have some questions for us?"

I nod, and he turns to the others and says, "You guys get started, and I'll walk with Tomoshibi and answer his questions."

Shiina nods, and turns and walks towards the piles of tickets. TK says, "Yeah, let's get down!", doing a weird sort of walk as he follows Shiina. Fujimaki stands where he is, and says, "Hey, don't get cocky just because you were given the lead."

Matsushita sighs, rubbing his hand over his face. "Would you start collecting, please?" he says, and I feel surprised at how his voice maintains it's same coolness it had before. _He's a big guy, but I guess he's able to keep his cool, _I think.

After a few more moments of standing there looking at us, Fujimaki eventually walks over to join the others, still glaring at Matsushita for a few seconds before turning to get to work.

"Alright," Matsushita says, turning back to me, "Let's walk."

* * *

We walked over to the field where we stopped and sat on the top steps. After a few moments of silence, Matsushita asks, "I'm assuming that you don't remember anything, am I correct?"

I nod, then I say, "Well, I did have a flash of a memory, but it made no sense to me without any more to back it up."

He nods, then looks up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought. "It took me a while, but I finally got my memory back. It started just like yours, with me just getting a few flashes of memory every once in a while."

He stops for a few moments, then continues, "I don't think my death was quite as brutal as the others'...But I do think that I'm here because I still have something to accomplish."

Matsushita suddenly stands, curls his hand into a fist, and gives a solid punch into the air. Just by looking at his form, it's easily to tell that he was very skilled in fighting.

"If you don't mind me asking...How did you die?" I asked him, and he put his hands to his side and looked up at the night sky. "I got sick, and I never got to prove myself..." he mutters.

He then turns to look at me. "I believe we're all here because we have something left to accomplish. Most of the people here want revenge, or want to do something they had failed to do. However, I just simply want to be able to show what I can do..." He pauses for a few seconds.

"For my pride," he continues, "And my family's pride, I must prove myself..." The determination his eye gives me an all-out new respect for him.

He then gets a small smile on his face and rubs the back of his head. "Sorry about ranting like that, but I believe you had a question?"

I suddenly realize that we had gone off-topic. "Yeah, I wanted to know what the deal was with that concert, and however you managed to get all of those meal tickets." I ask.

He gives a small laugh, and answers, "That's an easy question. The concert is merely a distraction, made by our diversionary group. While the NPCs are distracted, we use large high-powered fans to blow out all their meal tickets from out of their pockets, and out the windows."

"NPCs?..." I ask, and he tells me, "That's what we like to call them,'Non-Player Characters', because they aren't real people, they were specificly created for this world."

"Why have them here?" I ask, and he answers, "We believe either Angel or an outer-force created them, so we would live a normal student life...However, if we do that, we'll disappear."

I gulp. _Just the thought of simply disappearing gives me the chills, _I think. I was about to ask another question when I heard someone suddenly say from behind us, "We're leaving."

Turning around, I see Shiina behind us. _Jeez, I couldn't hear her at all, _I think, still looking at her. "That didn't take as long as usual," Matsushita says, then, turning to me, he says, "I guess I'll see you around, Tomoshibi."

He extends his hand and I shake it. "I hope so." I state, and he gives a big grin, giving a friendly tap on the back.

Then, he turns and follows Shiina, and I stand there, watching them until they disappear around the corner of the building.

_I guess they all aren't so bad..._I think, looking up at the starry sky for a few moments before walking to back to the hospital room to sleep.

* * *

"Psst! Wake up!" I hear suddenly, and I quickly sit up, looking up at the person beside me, still dazed from sleep.

"Come on! Hurry up!" he says, walking to the other side of the room. It takes me a few moments to stand, then, I begin to rub my eyes.

After a few seconds of adjustment, the blurriness in my eyes begins to fade, and I realize that the person was Hinata.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" I ask, walking over to the other side of the room. He gives a _shh_ sound and points. It's then that I notice the sniper rifle in his hands, aimed at something below.

Looking through the scope, I see the figure of Tachi, moving along the field with two bags in her hands. After a few moments of examining them, a small piece of paper flies out of them...

_Meal tickets? _I think questioningly. Hinata looks through the scope, then, without turning his head, he says, "She must have intercepted the collecting team."

"Wait, does that mean that she...." I trailed off, and Hinata turns his head to be and nods. _No way, _I think, _Tachibana wouldn't do that._

"I found TK, Fujimaki, and Shiina's bodies over by the cafeteria," he tells me, "Yurippe had told me to come along as backup, and I found them laying there when I made my way around."

_No...Tachi wouldn't have done that..._ I think. Suddenly, I realize something. "Wait, what about Matsushita?"

Hinata looks at me. "I don't know, I didn't see any sign of him anywhere." he answers, then turns and looks back through the scope.

Suddenly, I notice a figure running out of the corner of my eye, and I look down out the window to see Matsushita, charging at a full run, directed towards...

_Tachi? _I think. _No way, is he going to try and face her one on one? _Hinata, just now noticing him, says, "Well, that answers that question..."

When Matsushita reaches Angel, she turns quickly, and he tries to let out a punch. However, she dodges it easily, then takes a few steps back, and drops the bags.

"He's insane!" I say aloud, and Hinata nods. "If he keeps her distracted, then someone can go in and get the tickets back." he says.

"Wait, is that why you came here and woke me up?" I ask, and he nods. Letting out a sigh, I look back through the scope, seeing the two people in the

A flash of anger washes over me. "Why are you guys doing all of this over _meal tickets?_" I ask him, and he sighs. "Well, since we don't die, there's really no harm to us whether Angel gets us or not, and we need the meal tickets to eat, of course." he says in a playful tone, although I feel serious at that moment.

Looking back down, I see Matsushita holding Tachi's arm back, which had the blade coming out of it. _There's no way he can hold her for long, _I think, curling my hand into a tight fist.

I then ran out of the room, and headed for the entrance to the building. "Wait!" I heard Hinata say as I left the room.

Leaving the building, I saw a flash of blood as Tachi gives a clean slice into Matsushita's stomach. However, he continues to stand, and I can hear his deep voice say, "Come on, is that all you got?"

_This guy's crazy, _I think, watching as Tachi attempts to stab him, although he overtakes her and moves to the side, _But he's not going out without a fight._

_I believe we're all here because we have something left to accomplish. Most of the people here want revenge, or want to do something they had failed to do. However, I just simply want to be able to show what I can do..._

_Then prove yourself, _I think, _Matsushita, 5th Dan._

**To Be Continued****...**


	5. 5th Dan

**Angel Beats!**

**An Angel's Tale**

**Note: I find it difficult writing any fighting of any kind, so bear with me on some of these parts. I just wanted to focus on the dramatic parts, rather than the fighting.**

**Chapter Five**

**5th Dan**

It doesn't take long before Matsushita begins to lose his touch on the fight. However, even through taking slashes from Tachi, he continues to fight her.

_He can't last much longer, _I think, _But if I help him...He won't have his honor..._

Although Tachi goes at lightning speed, it appears as though Matsushita matches it, at least when it comes to defending himself.

Tachi goes for another quick stab into his chest, but Matsushita does a duck, low enough to dodge the blow, then, he gives a kick to her stomach, making her take a few steps back.

Suddenly, I hear a shot, and a flash of light hits Tachi in the chest, making a blood spot appear on her uniform. She looks down at it and rubs it with her hand, spreading the blood slightly.

After looking at it for a few moments, I turned my head away. _I can't see something like that, _I think, _especially to her._

"Guard Skill: Distortion." I hear her say, and the familiar blue glow appears around her once more. Hinata fires off a few more shots, all which simply move around her.

I see Matsushita turn and wave his hands at Hinata, shaking his head. Looking up at the window, I see the barrel of the rifle lift up and move back into the room.

Matsushita nods, satisfied, then turns to face his opponent once more, but is greeted by Tachi's blade to the chest...

Luckily, he is able to grab her arm in time to stop it from reaching his heart, but the blood still flows over him as it enters him part way.

Quickly, he pushes her back to make the blade leave his body, then he gives a quick punch, which lands easily on Tachi's face, causing her to get knocked back.

I flinch as she takes that hard hit. _Tachi doesn't deserve that, _I think, _But Matsushita wants to prove himself..._I begin to feel my feelings torn between the beautiful, innocent girl, and the strong, honorable kudo expert.

Without a moment's hesitation, Matsushita manages to take Tachi down to the ground in a sort of backwards hold that keeps her blade hand trapped behind her, facing towards him.

_I figured Tachi's speed would win her the fight, _I think in amazement. _But Matsushita is in it with speed and strength on his side._

However, just as it appears Matsushita has taken the advantage, I hear Tachi mutter, "Hand Sonic: Version 2." Suddenly, the blade grows longer, and pierces Matsushita in the chest, this time managing to go all the way through to his heart.

"Matsushita!" I yell, running over to the pair, seeing that the fight was lost for him. Tachi looks up, noticing me for the first time.

Tachi removes the blade from his body, and watches as I kneel over him. After a few moments of examining him, he appears as though he's dead.

I can't help but giving a small hint of laughter at that thought. _Saying somebody died in a world where you're already dead, _I think.

However, his hand suddenly shoots up and grabs my collar, surprising me. "Ha...Gotcha', didn't...I?" he says, breathing heavily.

I nod, and I give him a warm smile. "Don't worry, you can't die here, right?" I reassure him, and he simply looks up at the sky, his mind seemingly wandering somewhere else.

"I wanted...To show...What I could do," he says, then, looking at me again, he asks me, "Did I...Prove myself?"

His voice is still retaining it's coolness, although cracking slightly. I feel a pang of guilt and sadness wash over me. However, I give him a warm smile, and I tell him, "Yes, you definitely did."

He gives a big grin, which only lasts for a few seconds before he grunts at a flash of pain overcoming him. "Then...I've done what I wanted..." he says, trailing off slightly.

"I've...Gained some honor...For my family...For myself..." he continues, closing his eyes. I feel myself beginning to tear of slightly. _Even in a world where you're already dead, death is still a sad occurrence, _I think. _At least for me. _

Closing my eyes and wiping away the few tears that appeared in my eyes, I looked down at where he was, but...

...He was gone. Confused, I looked all around, unable to find him. Turning to Tachi, I ask her, "W-Wait, where did he go?"

She looks down at me, then at the spot where Matsushita had been merely seconds before. The blade on he arm suddenly retracts and disappears in a flurry of light.

"He did what he couldn't do in his short lifetime, even if it's only a little bit of his goal," she states, "So now, he can move on..." I look up at her. "Move on to where?" I ask.

She shakes her head slightly, and answers, "I'm not sure." Then, she looks past me, and I turn to find Hinata running up to us. "Hey, Tomoshibi, where did Matsushita go?" he asks.

Turning back to Tachi, I see that she's gone. _I guess that was enough quarreling in a night for her... _I think with a sigh.

I look at Hinata, and he appears to sense the pang of sadness that washes over me. "Matsushita...Disappeared." I tell him, and he looks at me, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Disappeared? How?" he asks, and I shake my head. "He accomplished what he hadn't be able to do in his lifetime, so now..." I turned to look at where Tachi had stood seconds before, "He's moved on."

Hinata simply looks down at the few blood stains on the ground where Matsushita had been. With a sigh, he says, "How can I explain this to Yurippe?"

* * *

"What?" Yurippe shouts, slamming her hand down on the desk. Hinata and I flinch at the harsh outburst after telling her the news.

Yurippe lets out an irritated sigh and leans back in her chair, setting her feet up on the desk. "It's been a while since somebody disappeared...And for that person to be Matsushita..." She shakes her head.

She then looks at Hinata and asks, "Tell me exactly what happened, from start to finish." Hinata rubs the back of his head and begins, "Uh, well, it started with..."

He began to retell all that had happened, from when he woke me up in the hospital room, to when he came to find Matsushita gone.

Yurippe closes her eyes, apparently thinking over what had happened. "So, Angel intercepted our collecting team, " she states, opening her eyes, "That isn't like her."

"Yeah," Hinata says, stepping forward, "When I found the bodies, I couldn't believe it either, but there's nobody else that could have done it, is there?"

Yurippe nods, closing her eyes to think once more. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and I turn to see Shiina, TK, and Fujimaki come in.

"It wasn't Angel." Fujimaki states, and Shiina and TK nod. Yurippe stands and asks, "Then who was it?"

"I didn't see the bastard before he killed us, but Shiina was able to see who it was." he says, nodding his head towards Shiina.

Everybody in the room turns and looks at her. I notice how she maintains her uninterested look even with everybody doing so.

"Ayato," she says in her dark tone, and everybody seems taken aback by the name, "The vice-president."

_The vice-president?...._I think. "That must mean one thing then," Yurippe says, making all attention turn to her, "Ayato is human, just like we are."

"Wait, then how would he manage to stay here, and not disappear?" Takamastu asks from the back of the room, propping up his glasses.

Yurippe sits back in her chair, and sets her hand on her chin. "I'm not sure," she answers, "But we can find out."

She turns in her chair and faces Fujimaki, telling him, "Fuji, I want you to lead the information group. I also want Noda, Shiina, and Taka to go too."

The group of four nods, and Yurippe explains to them, "Your job is to get any information out of Ayato that you can, no matter what you have to do."

Yurippe then turns to Iwasawa and says, "We'll be needing a distraction, so that Angel won't get involved in our plans."

"Will having two concerts so close together work?" Iwasawa asks, and Yurippe nods. "They love Girls Dead Monster, so they're bound to come."

Iwasawa nods, then walks out the door, followed by two other girls, whom I presume are in the band was well.

"Now," Yurippe says to the whole group, "We'll begin the operation tomorrow night, at 9:00 PM, as usual. However, our goal is different this time; Distract Angel, Find Ayato, and get as much information out of him as you can."

The whole group nods, then starts to make their way out of the room. "Wait," I ask Yurippe, "What about Matsushita?"

She sets her head on her hands and looks up at me. "It's unfortunate, but he chose his fate. All we can hope for is that he's happier now," she pauses, then continues, "Besides, we can't stop operations just because one of us disappears."

With a sigh, I shake my head, making my way to the door. As soon as I open it, I hear Yurippe say from behind, "Tomoshibi," I turn to her, and she tells me, "Don't become too close to Angel."

I pretend to not hear what she says as I walk out the door, slamming it shut as I walk into the hallway. I give the wall an irritated punch. _They just can't understand, _I think.

With a sigh, I begin to walk down the hall, seeing the first hint of sunlight peek in through the window behind me, slowly lighting up the dark hallway.

When I reach the end of the hall, I turn to look at the light from the sun peeking over the horizon. After watching it for a few moments, something suddenly flashes in my head. A vision of a similar scene, of the sun climbing it's way into the sky.

"Tomo..." I hear in my head, and I instantly recognize it was the girl from my memories. _Who...Is she? _I think, shaking my head, then looking back at the sun.

_This world is confusing, _I think, _It's full of mystery, fighting, and death... Yet, standing here in this darkened hallway, with a small glimmer of light pouring in, I feel slightly... Warm, and at home..._

_But, _I think with a sigh, _I don't think I'll ever adjust to life here. The only person I can talk to who has some sense is...Tachibana._

**To Be Continued****...**

**Next Chapter:**** Death Plan**


	6. Death Plan

**Angel Beats!  
****An Angel's Tale**

**Chapter Six**

**Death Plan**

9:00 PM, time for the concert. I decided to attend, just because I honestly had nothing better to do. _I can't disappear by attending the concert, can I? _I wonder, looking at the crowd of NPCs already gathered in the cafeteria.

Within a few minutes, the band comes out, and the crowd starts to go wild. _They're definitely popular, _I can't help but thinking.

I look up at Iwasawa, who is at the front of the band. Surprisingly, she doesn't appear to be that nervous. _She must have to do this a lot, _I think.

The song begins, and just by listening to the crowd begin to cheer even more wildly, I can tell it's probably one of their most popular.

"What? Playing this song at the very beginning of the concert?" I hear a voice say nearby, and I turn to find the girl I had seen in the hall a few days before.

"Hey." I say to her, and she turns and glares at me. "You're that guy who was messing with my fliers!" she growls, and I her anger makes me take a step back.

"Uh, well, yeah..." I say, rubbing the back of my head. Iwasawa's voice begins to sing, and the girl turns her head towards the band and gives a big smile.

_Mugen ni ikitai.. Mugen ni ikirare tara....Subete kanau..._

_(I want to live forever... And I could live forever....All my wishes would come true...)_

_Demo iron na monoga.. Atashi wo oikondeku..._

_(But so many things.. Corner me in...)_

_Wow, she's good, _I think, watching her sing. "Hey, I never got your name." I asked the girl, who turns to me and simply says in a more cheerful tone, "Yui."

I nod, and she turns back to the band, watching them with excitement filling her eyes. _She's definitely a truly devoted fan to them, _I think.

_Lisa, kokora de chotto, amai mono tabete iko,_

_(Oh well, let's take a little break here, and eat something sweet,"_

_Soujo shikou teishi, bokari tokui mi natta.....Ta...._

_(I'm only getting better, Stopping my mind like that.....That..."_

"What's your name?" I hear, and I turn to Yui and I tell her, "Tomoshibi." She nods, and says excitedly, "Don't you just love Girls Dead Monster, Tomo?"

I turn to look at the band, and I can see Iwasawa's smile from behind the mic as she sings. "Yeah, they're really good." I respond, and Yui nods, then looks behind her and her smile disappears.

"Oh no." she says, and, turning around, I see Tachi at the back of the crowd. _So, she did come, _I think, _Just as they wanted her to._

She began to make her way through the crowd, and I notice Yui run off to the side entrance to the stage. _She must be warning them, _I think.

I see Iwasawa's eyes on Tachi, being cautious while still playing and singing. When Tachi reaches the middle of the crowd where I was, I called out to her, "Tachibana!"

She turned her head towards me, and said, "Tomoshibi..." Tachi then turns her attention back to the band, her face showing no emotion still.

_Ikiru, nokori, jikan yume no zahyou yukue..._

_(Life, dreams, and destinations are all limited-time...)_

_Zenbu daiji na mono nano ni..._

_(It just so happens to be they're all important...)_

_Iya na koto bakaride mou unzari dayo..._

_(It's littered with bothersome things that make me homesick...)_

Tachi starts to take a step forward, and I grab her wrist and I tell her, "Wait!" She turns and looks at me. I stare at her sternly, and she moves back, looking up at me. I gulp. _She wouldn't do anything to me because I'm in her way, would sh- _I begin to think...

...When suddenly, the stages explodes, sending out debree and smoke out throughout the whole cafeteria. Instinctively, I grabbed Tachi and turned my back to the stage to protect her.

Pieces of wood fly by me for a few moments, a few hitting me in the back and cutting me, but then they stop. Looking around, I can see a few of the NPCs running around, or on the ground, shocked.

_What the hell? _I think, turning and looking towards the stage. When the smoke begins to clear slightly, I can see that there is almost nothing left of it.

I turned back to Tachi. "Did you know this would happen?" I ask, and she shakes her head. Anger flows over me as I realize, _The vice-president must have set this up._

"Tomo!" I hear a voice cry out, and I look through the smoke to find the source of the voice. Suddenly, Yui runs in through the smoke, coughing. "I need your help!" she states, running to the stage.

I look to Tachi, then I turn to follow Yui. When I get to the stage, I stare in terror at the bodies and blood on it. In the middle of the stage, Yui is kneeling over Iwasawa's body, which, to my horror, is tattered and bleeding ferociously.

_It's a good thing that explosion didn't tear her to shreds, _I think with a shiver, kneeling down beside Yui. _I can barely gaze upon this, let alone If I found them here in pieces. _

I see something out of the corner of my eye, and a girl with blonde hair runs up from the side of the stages, holding a radio in her hand. "Yurippe!" she says urgently.

After a few moments, Yurippe responds, "What is it,Yusa?" Yusa looks down at Iwasawa, then says into the radio, "The stage exploded."

"What?" I hear Yurippe shout, and I hear a flurry of gunfire on the other side of the radio. "Yurippe?" Yusa says, and Yurippe responds, "...Ayato must have known we were coming, and he's using NPCs to attack us with, since we can't harm them."

"Why can't we harm NPCs?" I ask, and Yui explains, "It's a rule here, that we can't harm them. If we do, we're bound to disappear."

_This After-Life is full of cruel rules, _I think in anger. "What should we do?" Yusa asks, and more gunfire is heard over the radio, followed by somebody's grunt of pain.

"Noda!," she shouts, then, to us, she says on the radio, "Take the band members and go to the HQ, and hurry!" Yusa nods and says, "Roger."

"Alright, let's get them out of here." I say, grabbing Iwasawa and carrying her in my arms. I feel a tug from behind, and I turn to see Tachi standing behind me.

"I can help." she states, walking over to a nearby band member with orange hair, who was also tattered up like Iwasawa. Tachi picks her up and starts to carry her.

As we begin to walk away, Yusa says, "Wait," I turn to find her looking around, "Two of them are missing."

Looking around, I don't see anybody. "They must be under the rubble somewhere." I state, and Yusa nods, scrabbling through the rubble.

"Yusa!" Yurippe suddenly says over the radio. "What is it?" she asks, and Yurippe tells her, "Are you there yet?"

"Two of the band members are beneath the rubble, and we can't find them." she says, and I can hear Yurippe sigh over the radio, and another set of gunfire emerges.

After a few seconds of silence, Yurippe says, "We don't have time, you have to leave them and get to-"...But the sound of metal is heard, and the radio goes dead.

"Yurippe?" Yusa says into the radio. No response. "Somebody must have shot the radio, or," I gulp as I say it, "Shot her."

Yusa sighs and puts the radio back into her pocket. "Come on, let's go." she says, making her way to the entrance to the cafeteria.

Tachi begins to follow, then stops and turns towards me. "Tomo," she says, and I look at her, surprised to hear her call me that, "We're going."

I nod, and I begin to follow her, looking back at the demolished stages as I go. _This is turning out worse than I could have ever imagined, _I think.

* * *

When we had left the cafeteria, we saw NPCs sitting and talking outside, and we could hear the distinct sound of gunfire coming from somewhere not to far away.

We quickly made our way to the HQ, which, for the first time, I noticed was the Principle's Office. Arriving at the door, I was about to put my hand on it, when Yusa suddenly said, "Stop."

She moves in front of me and mutters,"No God, no Buddha, no Angels." under her breath. Then, she places her hand on the door and opens it.

"What was that about?" I ask her as we walk inside. She turns to me and explains, "If you don't use the password, and open the door...A large hammer is set to fly down and send you flying out the window."

I gulp. _So, I could have made us all go flying out the window? _I think with a sigh, setting Iwasawa down on one of the couches.

Tachi sets the girl in her arms down on the opposite couch, and Yusa kneels down beside Iwasawa and examines her.

"They should wake up shortly," she says, walking over to the other girl and inspecting her, "For now, we need to stay in here, until Yurippe returns."

I nod, then I think out loud, "If he's got the upper-hand against us...Then how can we possibly stop him?"

After a few moments of silence, I hear the door to the room open. Turning, I see Tachi walking out of the room. "Wait, Tachi! Where are you going?"

She stops, then turns to me and says, "To stop him."

**To Be Continued****...**

**Next Chapter:**** Warrior**


	7. Warrior

**Angel Beats!  
****An Angel's Tale**

**Chapter Seven**

**Warrior**

I didn't stop Tachi from going to stop the vice-president, nor did I go with her. _I need to stay here, in case anything happens._

However, I began to regret not going with her after she had left. _Will she need help? _I think worriedly, _Or will she be able to handle it easily?_

These thoughts are going through my head when I hear a groan come from Iwasawa. Turning to her, I see her eyes open slightly as she looks up at me.

"To-Tomoshibi?" she manages to say, her eyes opening more. She starts to sit up, but I put my hand on her shoulder softly and I tell her, "Take it easy, you were in a pretty bad accident back there."

Iwasawa sets her head back down and sighs. "What happened?" she asks, and I start to explain to her, "Well, Ayato apparently set the stage to explode while you were preforming..."

She sits up suddenly, making me jump a little bit. "W-Where's my guitar?" she asks, and I tell her, "I didn't see it... It was most likely destroyed in the explosion."

In a quick motion, she grabs my collar and pulls be towards her. Her red eyes begin to glare at me as she says to me, "It _can't _be destroyed. Where is it?"

I hold my hands up in innocence. "I don't know, I-" I begin to say, when I suddenly hear another groan from behind me.

"Sekine!" Yusa says, kneeling by her side. "Wha...What happened?" she says with an innocent sounding voice.

"There was an accident, and the stage-" Yusa begins to explain, but we freeze when the sound of stomping feet appeared in the hallway. Yusa and I stand, facing the door.

"Who is-" Sekine begins to say, but Yusaputs a finger to her lips and says, "_Shh."_

After a few moments,the sound stops at the door. The doorknob is turned, and the door opens...And Noda

As soon as I see Noda in the doorway, I sigh. "Aha, so, you actually obeyed orders and came-" he begins to say, before suddenly getting hit from the side by a large hammer.

I can hear his shouts as he goes flying out the window, landing with a thud on the concrete below. "Uh..." I say, and Yusa sighs. "Idiot, falling for his own trap." she mutters.

* * *

After waiting for a few minutes, Noda finally returned, panting heavily. "Damn...I gotta stop doing that." he mutters, entering the room and sitting on the open couch.

Yusa steps forward and asks him, "Did Yurippe tell you to come here?" He looks up at her and nods. "We got ourselves in a hell of a fight with the vice-president and his NPCs..." he begins.

He then looks up at the ceiling and says, "That bastard took most of us out, and Yurippe told me to go and see if you guys made it here in one piece."

He sits up and clenches the long handle of his axe harder. "The bastard is using the NPCs as his shield, and we were getting picked off one by one...I'm lucky that I got out of there, I doubt that anybody is still alive." he says with anger in his voice.

"Tachi went down there to stop him..." I say, and Noda looks up at me. "Tachi? Who's that?" he asks, and I sigh. "Angel." I say, and he quickly stands up and glares at me.

"What? Letting another enemy go down there? You idiot!" he yells at me, pointing his axe directly at my neck. I gulp.

He continues to glare at me for a few seconds before thrusting his axe forward. However, Iwasawa reaches out and grabs the handle, stopping him. "Stop." she states, and Noda looks down at her.

We both look at her for a few moments, and I see a few tears start to roll down her cheeks. Noda brings his axe back and sets it on his shoulder, and Yusa runs over to Iwasawa.

"What's the matter?" she asks, and Iwasawa shakes her head. "It's...Nothing." she says, rubbing her eyes and wiping the tears off her face.

Noda sighs. "We can settle this later, but for now," he says, looking up at me, "We need to help Yurippe and the others."

I nod, but then I ask, "Wait, what am I supposed to fight with?" He reaches back behind him and pulls out a pistol.

"Grabbed this," he states, tossing it to me, "You know how to use it?" I examine it for a few seconds, then I nod.

"Good, then let's go." he tells me, making his way to the door, and leaving the room. I follow him, and I stop at the door and I turn back to the others in the room.

"Stay safe." I tell them, and they nod. _Psh, as if I can act cool right now, _I think as I leave the room to follow Noda, _I'm actually scared out of my mind right now._

* * *

It had begun to rain almost as soon as we had left the building, starting as a small sprinkle, then eventually beginning to pour down hard.

Through the darkness and the rain, we follow the sound of gunshots. "Maybe they aren't all dead yet..." Noda says, breaking into a fast run towards the sound.

We finally arrived at where the fighting was taking place, in one of the baseball fields on the school grounds. Stopping at the fence, we peak inside to find something that makes me shiver.

Bodies on the ground, with blood around them, the rain spreading it slightly. Standing in the middle of it all, is one person. Somebody I don't recognize.

"Who is that?" I ask, pointing at the lone person. "The damned vice-president." Noda growls, standing and making his way to the dugout, then onto the field.

"Wait, Noda!" I say after him, and I watch as he runs at the Ayato, only to suddenly get shot from the side. "Gahh!" he yells out, falling to the ground.

Suddenly, three more figures appear from the side. _They were waiting for him, _I think with an irritated sigh. I then see the vice-president kneel over the body in front of him.

Silently, I creep into the dugout, and I try to listen in on what he is saying. Although it is slightly faint, I can understand what he is saying.

"...Your friend Matsushita, the one who disappeared. He's now able to move on, and rest in peace," Ayato says, "You fools believe in a false understanding, that you'll be worse off when you disappear, but you're wrong."

I then watch as he moves closer to the body in his arms. "I am God, and I now want you to dwell in your memories, and find your purpose. Disappear, and you may live on in peace." he states.

The person he is holding squirms for a few moments, before stopping. _What's he doing? _I wonder. Suddenly, the person yells out, "No...No! There was nothing I could do to stop it...Stop!"

_Yurippe! _I think, recognizing the voice. With a flash of anger washing over me, I quickly stand and run out of the dugout, making my way towards the vice-president.

The NPCs don't notice me until I tackle Ayato, bringing him to the ground and giving him a blow to the face. The NPCs raise their guns, so I quickly bring Ayato up and put him in front of me. _Now I've got a shield, _I think with a hint of satisfaction.

I take the gun from my pocket and I hesitently point it at the vice-president's head. The NPCs lower their guns, but Ayato tells them, "Come on, we can't die. Just shoot us both!"

My eyes open wide as they raise their guns again. "Why are you doing this?" I ask Ayato, not taking my eyes off the NPCs.

He stops struggling, then gives a sort of wicked laugh under his breath. "I am God...You now play by my rules." he tells me with an evil grin.

I gulp as the NPCs prepare to fire. _Although I can't die...I'm still going to feel the pain, _I think, preparing myself...

...When, suddenly, I see a flash of metal as Noda's axe flies in, leaving a clean slice in one of the NPCs. The NPC falls to his knees first, before falling to the ground.

The others turn and look at him, shocked. Noda takes the opportunity to leap at them, and he manages to nearly slice one of them in half.

He then tries to leap at the last one, but the NPC begins to fire, unleashing a flurry of bullets into Noda. Noda stands for a few moments, before falling to his knees.

The NPC runs up to Noda and tries to hit him with the hilt of his gun, but Noda simply grabs it, and looks up at him, obviously struggling with his waning strength.

"I...Don't...Think so...You...Bastard." he manages to say, bringing up his axe in his other and shoving it clean through the NPC, who then falls back onto the concrete, although no blood comes out.

Noda then falls back, and I shout, "Noda!", giving the vice-president an angry hit on the side of the head, then running over to Noda's side. He looks up at the sky, still breathing slightly.

"Noda, are you alright?" I ask, feeling the question's stupidity after I asked it. Noda simply grins and gives a small laugh, before coughing up some blood onto the ground beside him.

"Hey...You still...Owe me....nine-hundred ninety nine...Deaths." he tells me, and I can't help but grinning back at him. But then, my grin fades as I realize, _He's going to disappear._

After a few moments of silence, besides the sound of the rain on the concrete, Noda slowly holds up his axe in one hand, his arm shaking with the struggle of holding it up.

I look at him, and his grin gets slightly bigger. Then, I take the axe in my hands, examining it. "Noda..." I begin to say, looking down at him...

...But he's gone. I sit there, kneeling down with the axe in my hands. _Another person, disappearing before my eyes... _I think, feeling a pang of sadness come over me.

"Tomo..." I hear a weak voice say from behind. Turning, I run over to Yurippe. "Yurippe? Are you alright?" I ask, and she nods, turning her head to look over to where Noda had been a few moments earlier.

"He's...Gone?" she asks, and I follow her gaze, then I nod. She sighs. "I'm not a very good leader." she states, and I shake my head. "No way, you're a great leader!" I assure her, but I can tell she isn't convinced.

I suddenly realize something, and I ask her, "Wait, did Tachibana come here?" Yurippe looks up at me and nods. "Where is she?" I ask, and she turns her head to her left and nods over to another body on the concrete.

I help Yurippe get up, and I lead her to the dugout and set her against the wall inside of it. Then, I run over to Tachi. "Tachibana!" I shout, leaning over her body.

Her closed eyes suddenly open, and she looks up at me. "Tomo...shibi?" she says, and I nod. Then, I looked at her body, which was strained with a few red marks where bullets had hit her.

"How did they get you?..." I ask, and she closes her eyes for a few moments before answering, "He said he'd stop...If I gave myself up."

I shake my head, and I feel a few tears appear in my eyes. _That guy is a heartless person, _I think in anger, turning to find him staggering over to the dugout, trying to get away.

I lift up my pistol at him as he walks. My hand begins to shake, but I think to myself, _He deserves it...Come on..._

After a few moments of struggling to pull the trigger, I finally do. It hits him in the shoulder, and he falls over with a gasp of pain.

I feel the anger slightly leave my body as I see him fall._ Feel the pain that you give to others, _I think, turning back to Tachi.

"Don't worry, I'll get you to a safe place." I tell her, rubbing my hand over her cheek softly. She looks up at me, and she says, her eyes seeming to sparkle, "Tomo..."

**To Be Continued****...**

**Next Chapter:**** Belonging**


	8. Belonging

**Angel Beats!  
****An Angel's Tale**

**Note: I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, but I've changed it up so many times that I just decided to write it, since it was holding me up. It goes fast, I know, but I promise the next won't be like that. ( Especially since there's some action ;P )**

**Chapter Eight**

**Belonging**

Yurippe and I began to help the others make their ways to the dugout, and, when they began to stir and get back their senses, we all headed back to the HQ.

When we got to the room and left the darkness of the hallway, everybody finally noticed that Tachi was standing beside me, and they all jumped and quickly ran to the other side of the room, by Yurippe's desk. Yurippe simply sat down calmly, but Fujimaki walked towards us and unsheathed his katana.

"Wait, what is _she _doing here?" Fujimaki shouts, pointing his katana directly at Tachi, who doesn't flinch at all at the steel facing her.

I quickly move in front of her, and Yurippe says from her desk, "Stop, Fuji." Fujimaki turns to look at her. "But-" he begins to say, but she shakes her head and tells him, "_Now."_

Fujimaki looks back at Tachi for a few moments, before sheathing his katana, and joining the others on the other side of the room, who were all either in a sort of battle-pose or looked like they were ready to run for it.

I sigh. _They must be used to getting into a fight when she's around, _I think. After a few moments of silence, I hear the door open from behind, and a somebody says, "Wait."

Turning, I see five girls enter the room. I recognize Iwasawa, Yusa, and Sekine, but the other two are unfamiliar to me. _Wait... Those must be the other band members, _I think with a sigh of relief.

Yurippe looks up at them and says, "Oh, you were able to find them?" Yusa nods. "We figured we could leave the HQ and try to find them, seeing as," she pauses and nods over to Tachi, "Tenshi, Tomo, and..." She looks around for Noda.

Yurippe sighs. "Noda?" she finishes for her, and Yusa nods. "Well, Noda is gone." Yurippe states, and everybody looks at her. "What?" they all say in unison.

"W-Wait, how did he disappear?" Oyama says in his shy voice, and Yurippe answers, "He killed three NPCs," she pauses and looks up at me, "To save Tomo."

Everybody looks at me, and I feel a bit awkward under their glances. "Uh...Well, if he hadn't done that, there would have been no way to save everybody..." I begin, trailing off.

"Yes," Yurippe says, and everybody turns back to her, "His disappearance didn't go without purpose. We're lucky to have somebody willing to sacrifice themselves like that..."

I hear Fujimaki sigh. "I always knew that idiot would get too cocky, giving himself up like that to save a newbie." he mutters.

I see Takamatsu prop up his glasses and give a cough to be heard. "Still," he says, "What are we going to do about _him?_" Everybody turns towards the vice-president, who was tied up in the corner of the room, with duct-tape over his mouth.

Yurippe gets up and walks over to him, staring at him for a few moments before ripping the tape off his mouth. "Ouch!" he exclaims, glaring at her. "How dare you disrespect your Go-" he begins to say, before she slaps the duct-tape back onto his mouth.

She sighs, and turns to Tachi and I. "Tomo, could you...?" she trails off, nodding her head towards the door. I look down at Tachi, who, without saying a word, walks over to the door and opens it.

I sigh. _I guess their discussion isn't for Tachi's ears, _I think, following Tachi as she walks out into the hallway.

As we begin to walk down the hall, I notice that she is simply looking at the floor, and I feel a pang of sadness for her. "You know, they're only against you because they think you're the one thing standing between them and God..." I tell her, and she nods.

"If you don't mind me asking..." I start to ask, and she looks up at me. "Are you...Really an angel?" She looks back down to the ground, and shakes her head.

I breath a sigh of relief. _I was hoping I wasn't wrong about her being a normal girl, _I think. Then, I ask her, "Then how did you...Die?"

She shakes her head and continues to walk. "S-Sorry for asking, Tachi, I just-" I begin to say, but she interrupts me and says, "I died alone."

I stop, but she continues to walk. _She died...Alone? _I think. For a few moments, I find myself chilled by the thought. Suddenly, I snap back to reality, and I begin to catch up with Tachi when I hear somebody call my name from behind.

Turning, I see Iwasawa walking up to me. "Iwasawa?" I say, and she points back the way I had come, telling me, "Yurippe wants you're help."

Turning around, I see that Tachi is gone. With a sigh, I nod, and I begin to follow Iwasawa back to the HQ.

* * *

When we walk inside, Yurippe is saying, "-then it's decided. Hinata, Fujimaki, you both will stay here to guard Ayato until we get back from Guild."

She sees us walk in, and says, "Oh, Tomo, you came back. Good." I nod, leaning against the wall beside the door, feeling a few eyes gazing upon me.

Yurippe stands, and tells me, "Tomo, will you get the lights?" I flip the switch off, while Oyama and TK close the curtains to the windows.

For a few moments, the room is dark, until, suddenly, a screen appears behind Yurippe, lighting up the room. Yurippe takes out a sort of white beret and puts it on her head.

"Now," she says, "Let's begin the briefing."

* * *

After the briefing, in which I was informed that Guild was a facility deep underground in which they got their weapon supplies, we made our way to the school gym.

Once there, Takamatsu, TK, and I pulled out a section of the wall. "Alright, let's go!" TK says, doing his usual weird hand movements before crawling into the small opening.

The others followed, and I simply squatted down and peered into the entrance. "Come on, don't stand around, we're going!" I hear Yurippe say, and I sigh, crawling into the small space.

When I get inside, I see Yurippe climbing down a ladder, which is behind a steel latch. As I crawl over to it, I peer down, to see her looking up at me. "Hurry up!" she states.

I quickly climb down, closing the latch behind me. When I reach the ground, she looks at everybody. "Well, we only have six people for this operation, so be prepared." Everybody nods in understanding.

She begins to walk, leading us down the long corridor, which looks distinctly like a sort of large mine-shaft, with lanterns hanging down from the ceiling.

"It doesn't appear that the traps are activated," she states, "So we should be able to get there quickly." The group nods, and we begin to increase our pace to a run.

We made our way through the corridor, which eventually began to switch in scenery, changing from a mine-shaft look, to a small white room, to a large open room.

"I'm guessing that most of these places have traps installed into them?" I say, and Takamatsu nods, propping up his glasses and telling me, "Anti-Angel traps. We'd be lucky to survive them if we ever had to encounter them."

Within a few minutes, we find ourselves in a large cave, with a river flowing through it. At the end of the river, I can see a waterfall, toppling the water into a mist-like abyss.

"Over here." I hear Yurippe tell me, and I turn from the waterfall and I start to follow her up a flight of stairs, leading up to a dimly-lit hallway, with worn-out walls on both sides.

"We're almost there." Yurippe says as we arrive in a large tunnel, with lights spotted directly at the end of it, where a brown metal latch was.

TK and I lift up the latch, revealing another ladder. However, as I peer down into the hole, I see that this ladder goes really far underground.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Yurippe says, and I gulp as I begin my descent. As soon as I emerge into the large open space underground, I gawk.

_Guild is...Huge! _I can't help but think, taking in the massive facility in front of me. I suddenly get a kick from above, and I look up to find Yurippe climbing down after me. "Stop spacing out!" she tells me. I sigh, and I continue my descent.

When I reach the bottom, I see a group of people begin to crowd around. As we all arrive, they start to chat with one another, obviously interested in our arrival.

"This is the place?" I say, still taking in the large metal buildings and contraptions. Yurippe nods, and says, "Welcome to Guild."

**To Be Continued...**

**Next Chapter: Guild**

**Note: I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, but I've changed it up so many times that I just decided to write it, since it was holding me up. It goes fast, I know, but I promise the next won't be like that. ( Especially since there's some action ;P )**


	9. Guild

**Angel Beats!  
****An Angel's Tale**

**Chapter Nine**

**Guild**

"Ah, Yurippe, is that you?" a voice says from the crowd. A man with long brown hair and a rough beard walks up. _Is this guy in high school too?_ I think, realizing that everybody I had seen in the After-Life has been about the same age as me.

"Chaa-san." she says, nodding to him. Chaa looks up at me and says, "A newcomer, I'm assuming?" I nod, and he gives me a grin. "I can tell by the look on your face." he tells me.

He turns and spreads his arms wide, saying, "This is Guild, our creation, where we breath life into anything we can do create whatever we desire. Of course, as long as it isn't living."

I nod, and Yurippe explains, "Although, efficiency became prioritized, and now, all they do is make replicas in this factory." Chaa nods, and adds on, "So now, we simply breath life into something that looks like what we remember."

I nod in understanding, although it's still not perfectly clear to me. _The idea of making weapons from dirt just made the After-Life stranger than I had thought before... _I think with a sigh.

"Oh yeah, and it seems as though a couple of your members must have straggled behind, because they're making their way here as we speak." he says. Yurippe tilts her head in confusion.

Turning, she makes a head count. "There's only supposed to be six of us here, while Hinata and Fujimaki stayed behind to watch the vice-president..." she begins to say, before quickly turning back to Chaa and asking, "How many people are there exactly?"

"We saw two, with one person coming in farther behind." he says, and Yurippe lets out an irritated sigh. "What is it, Yurippe?" Oyama asks, and she says, "It's Ayato, he's coming."

"The vice-president? There's no way he escaped!" I say, and she shakes her head. "He must have gotten Hinata and Fujimaki caught up in his hypnotism." she says.

"Hypnotism?" I say, confused. She nods. "He used hypnotism to make the NPCs do as he desires. It could be true for any of us as well." I sigh. _That would have been nice to know earlier, _I think.

"How un-desirable..." Shiina mutters, and TK says in a defeated sort of voice, "Aww man, here comes the heat!" _Fighting against our own members? _I think. _I didn't think this would ever happen..._

"Alright..." Yurippe says, thinking. "We'll need to stall them any way we can. Chaa-san, can you turn on the anti-Angel traps?" He nods, motioning to a couple of the workers behind him, who run off.

"Should we take defensive positions?" another worker says, and Chaa turns to him and shakes his head. "We'll continue production. That is, if you guys can defeat them." he says, turning towards us.

Yurippe nods. "We'll try to at least stall them." she says, and Chaa gives her a grin. "Good." he states. A worker moves through the crowd, coming at us with a large basket.

He drops it in front of us, and we see that it's full of weapons. "I figure you'll need some fresh weaponry, so here you are!" Chaa tells us, and I see the others start to take whatever they can.

I kneel down, examining them. _How do I even know what to pick? _I wonder, and Yurippe kneels down beside me, simply picking out a pistol and handing it to me. "Just use this." she tells me, and I nods.

Looking over, I see TK holding a pistol in each hand, and Oyama and Takamatsu holding a sort of rifle in their arms. Shiina, of course, was still standing there, her arms crossed, with an uninterested look on her face.

"Shiina prefers using her shurikens and such." Yurippe explains, and I nod. Then, Yurippe leads the way up the ladder, and I follow her.

* * *

When we all reached the above-ground, we can hear large rumbles coming from the tunnels leading to Guild. "They're getting close." Yurippe says, pulling out the silver pistol from her side.

After a few moments of waiting, the small tunnel leading into where we were suddenly begins to fill with smoke. The shadow of a figure appears in the middle of it. We all take aim at the figure, when, suddenly, two people quickly begin to run towards us from either side of it.

"Get them!" Yurippe says, and we all begin to fire. I see a flash of light as Fujimaki's katana is drawn, running at us and dodging bullets easily.

I quickly aim at Fujimaki, struggling once again to fire the shot. Eventually, I pull the trigger, but I'm surprised when he merely deflects it with his katana like it was nothing.

"Look out!" Yurippe says as Hinata takes aim and begins to fire his rifle at us. We run for the side tunnel entrances to hide, but I hear a gasp of pain from the other side, and I see Oyama on the ground, apparently hit.

With a flash of anger, I turn around the corner to start firing again. However, I quickly jump back as I see a flash of steel come down in front of me. _Damn, he's quick, _I think.

Fujimaki comes forward to give another slash at me, which I'm barely able to duck and dodge. From the tunnel, Shiina leaps out at him and kicks him directly in the head, stunning him for a few moments.

She quickly draws a few knives from her pockets and throws them at Fujimaki, who attempts to move out of the way, but is hit with one in the shoulder.

He grunts, and Shiina draws another knife, leaping at him and aiming for his neck. However, Fujimaki overtakes her and gives a clean slice in her side.

Shiina collapses, struggling to try to get up. Fujimaki walks over to her and raises his katana. I quickly take aim at him, and I take a shot, missing him by a hair.

With a quick move, he slams the katana down. I flinch, looking away. _That's...Not something I want to __see, _I think with a shiver.

When I look back, I see Fujimaki running at me. I quickly take a couple of more shots at him, all of which he deflects easily. Then, as I press the trigger again, I hear a _click!_

_Wait, am I out of bullets? _I think, examining the gun for a few moments. Then, looking up, my eyes widen as I see Fujimaki in the air, coming down to kill me in one blow...

...But he is suddenly shot from behind, blood coming out from his back. I jump out of the way as his body slams to the ground. Looking at the other side, I see Yurippe, with her pistol in hand.

Hinata's body is laying next to her, and, beside him, is Takamatsu's body. I quickly run over to her and TK, noticing Shiina's body from the corner of my eye, causing me to shiver again.

When I reach them, Yurippe says, "They should be back to their old selves when they wake up." Then, she leans beside Hinata's body and mutters, "Sorry..."

Standing up, she has a sudden realization. "Ayato? Where is Ayato?" she exclaims, and we all look over at the entrance, where we see the vice-president.

As he steps closer to the light, we see that, set on his shoulder, is a rocket launcher of some kind. _Oh...Damn, _I think. "Fuckin' crazy..." TK mutters, and Yurippe shouts, "Get out of the way!", as Ayato fires off a rocket at us.

I quickly run with Yurippe beside me. We're blown forward, landing with a hard _thud _on the ground. From behind, we hear TK shout. Turning, I see TK as he is piled-over by tumbling rocks from the explosion.

Yurippe turns towards Ayato, glaring at him. Ayato gives off an evil sort of laugh, as he says, "Disrespect God, will you? Then, I'll make sure you all disappear."

He walks towards us, dropping the rocket launcher and producing a pistol from his pocket. Yurippe quickly gets to her feet and tries to take aim at him, but he fires, hitting her square in the chest.

"Yurippe!" I shout, kneeling beside her. Ayato gives another laugh again, and he walks towards us, stopping merely a few feet away.

I turn towards him and I shout, "Why are you doing this? Giving others pain, and for what?" He simply gives a wicked grin and tells me, "As God, you play by my rules..."

He takes aim at me and fires, hitting me in stomach. I fall back, giving a gasp of pain. _Damn...This hurts! _I think, gritting my teeth.

Ayato walks over to me, kneeling beside me and reaching out and turning my head towards him He looks into my eyes, and I can't seem to look away.

His eyes, to my surprise, begin to give off a red glow. "W-What...Is this?" I gasp, and he grins. "This is your ticket out of here," he tells me. My vision begins to fade, and I hear him say, "So go on...Disappear from this existence..."

My vision goes black, and I hear nothing more, nor do I feel anything. _Am I going to disappear? _I wonder, as a sudden chill overcomes me. A chill similar to the one I had experienced when I had first arrived.

_Please...Don't let me go yet..._

**To Be Continued****...**

"No! Stop it!"

"There is no God!"  
_How could this happen?_

"Move on, to a peaceful rest."

"Tachi!"

"No...I'M INNOCENT!"

**Next Chapter:**** Innocent**


	10. Innocent

**Angel Beats!**

**An Angel's Tale**

**Note: This chapter is rather shorter than usual, but I decided to post it anyways, since I'll be busy for the next couple of days, and won't get much writing in. Still, enjoy!**

**Chapter Ten**

**Innocent**

"Tomo-kun." A voice says, and I open my eyes, looking up at a girl kneeling above me. "Rimi..." I say unconsciously, not recognizing the name, but still somehow knowing it.

I suddenly realize that the girl is the same one I had seen before, from my memories. I sit up, holding onto my head, feeling it aching badly.

"Are you alright?" I hear Rimi ask, and I nod. "I just...Need a few moments to-" I begin to say, looking up at her, but I find that she's gone.

"Uh...Rimi?" I say, looking around, noticing for the first time the dark void around me. "Where am I?" I ask, and I suddenly hear crying come from behind me.

Turning, the dark void morphs into a bedroom, with a lone window allowing just a little hint of sunlight to glitter through. In the middle of it, I see Rimi huddled in the middle of the floor, sobbing.

I take a step forward, and I hear her say, "Why...Why did you leave me?" I start to walk towards her, only to find that I'm not getting any closer. _What the hell? _I think, irritated. I start to run towards her, and Rimi, along with the bedroom, begins to move farther and farther away from me, before disappearing in the darkness.

_What's going on? _I think, confused, and looking around me. "You left me alone..." I hear, and I turn to find Rimi standing behind me, a knife in her hand, and a her eyes giving me an ice-cold stare.

"Rimi...What are you-" I begin to say, but she interrupts me and says, "I...Can't ever forgive you." With a sudden movement, she thrust the knife at me, giving me a sharp pain in my stomach as it enters me. I let out a gasp of pain. "R-Rimi, why...?" I say.

"Because," she states, "You left me." My eyes open wide at those words. _I left her? _I think. _What does she mean?_

Suddenly, she vanishes before my eyes. _Where did she go? _I think, when, suddenly, lights appear all around me, followed by the appearance of multiple Rimi's.

"You left me," they say in unison. Then, they begin to say, one by one, "Alone." "Hurt." "Confused." "Angered." _What...What's going on? _I think, the voices seeping into my head.

"No! Stop it!" I shout, trying to cover my ears, but their voices continue to dig inside of my head. _Ayato is doing this... _I think, _Wake up! WAKE UP!_

The voices cease, and they all say, once more in unison, "Worst of all... You left me brokenhearted..." After those words, my vision blurs, and the feeling of darkness once again envelopes me...

… "-admit yourself to your past life. Move on, to a peaceful rest." I hear, as I open my eyes, looking up at the lights above me.

Turning my head, I can see Yurippe's body beside me, and, beyond her, I can see the vice-president kneeling over Oyama, looking into his eyes and speaking to him. Oyama starts to struggle for a few moments, before finally stopping.

_What...Just happened? _I wonder. I try to sit up, but I flinch at the pain in my stomach. Looking down at the wound from the bullet, I notice my pistol laying out to my side.

Picking it up, I slowly get up onto one knee, eventually making my way up to stand, staggering a little before finally maintaining my balance.

I lift my pistol, aiming it at the vice-president, who turns around and sees me. "Well, it seems that my hypnotism didn't quite work on you." he says.

"I...Guess not." I say, glaring at him. He simply grins at me, and gives a small laugh. "You think you can kill God? Go ahead, try." he says, spreading his arms to make himself a target.

I take aim for his chest, and I fire. Surprisingly, he moves to the side, avoiding the bullet, and he quickly draws his pistol and fires at me, hitting my shoulder, and making me drop the gun.

Ayato laughs. "I'm not going to be defeated by the likes of you." he snickers, and I run at him in anger. He aims his pistol at me, and fires...

...But suddenly, a figure appears in front of me, and deflects it. "Tachi!" I say, and Tachi turns to me and tells me, "You should leave."

I shake my head. "I'm not going to leave you." I tell her, picking up my pistol with my good arm and standing beside her.

"Interesting..." Ayato says, "A believed 'Angel' taking on a God like myself. I find that rather amusing." "Are you insane? You're not God!" I shout at him, and his grin fades from his face.

"An insulate remark from the likes of you..." he mutters, looking at both of us, before turning and quickly making his way into the tunnel behind him.

Tachi starts to follow him, and I start to as well, when I suddenly hear Oyama begin to mutter something. Running to his side, I say, "Oyama! Wake up!"

"No...I'm innocent..." he says. I start to shake him, but it doesn't work. _Wake up, dammit! _I think, irritated.

I hear a groan come from behind, and I see Yurippe lift up her head, putting her hand on her forehead and saying, "W-Where...Is the vice-president?"

I move to her side, and I help her sit up. "Tachi went after him," I tell her, nodding over to the tunnel, "But he did something to Oyama, and we need to help him, quick."

I wait for a few moments before helping her stand. After a moment of staggering, we both make our way to Oyama's side.

"What can we do for him?" I ask Yurippe, who shakes her head. "He should have been taken from the hypnotism whenever Ayato stopped looking into his eyes..." she says.

"But Oyama is weak-willed, and shy. There's no way he can resist the urge to simply disappear..." she says, and I start to shake him once more. _No, not again!_

"Stop..." Oyama says, and I stop shaking him, and I say, "Oyama! Can you hear me?" He groans, and his eyes open slightly, looking up past Yurippe and I at the rocky ceiling above.

"I...Didn't do it..." he says. His head turns towards Yurippe, and he looks up at her. "Yurippe...You don't think I did it...Do you?" She shakes her head. "What is he talking about?" I ask her.

She looks up at me and explains, "Oyama was charged with a murder that he didn't commit...After the trial, he was put in prison... where he was...killed."

I can't help but flinching at that information. _That's a horrible way to die... _I think. Yurippe shakes her head. "Oyama is probably the nicest person I've ever met...Especially with the cruel world out there,"

I look down at Oyama, looking at the Innocent look in his face. _An unfair life... _I think, shaking my head.

"I don't know what to do..." Yurippe says, "I'm not a true leader..." I shake my head and I put my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't say that, you're a great leader!" I tell her, but I can tell she isn't convinced.

"I've tried to lead the Front...But everybody is disappearing...And it's because of _my _bad leadership..." she says. "Trust me," I tell her, and she looks up at me, "Nobody could come close to doing any better."

"I'm innocent..." Oyama says, and I turn to look at him. His eyes suddenly open wide. "No....I'M INNOCENT!" he shouts....

...And his voice echos throughout the rocky cavern, as, right before our eyes, he disappears...

**To Be Continued****...**

"Tachi! Look out!"

"I couldn't do anything to stop him..."

_This needs to stop!_

"Tomorrow never comes!"

"_Guard Skill: Harmonics."_

"Kneel before your god!"

**Next Chapter:**** God vs. Angel**


	11. God vs Angel

**Angel Beats!**

**An Angel's Tale**

**Note: Hello everyone! I'm FINALLY updating this story since...Wow, I'm not even sure how long. About 6 months would be my guess. I'm hoping you guys like it, because I'm going to try and finish this story!(Finally)**

**So, Read, Review, and Enjoy! Like always! :D**

**Chapter Eleven**

**God vs. Angel**

After that, I didn't hesitate after that. Seeing Oyama disappear in obvious despair, I had to stop Ayato once and for all. I quickly ran down the tunnels, hearing the sound of gunfire up ahead. _That bastard is going to get what's coming to him, _I thought.

After a while, I finally arrived at the exit. The sound of gunfire and the clanking of metal could be heard above. _They must be in the gym, _I thought, readying my pistol as I climbed up and out of the Guild entrance...

...And I stepped out into the gym just in time to see Tachi take a bullet directly to the head. "Tachi!" I shouted, horrified by the sight of the shot. I fell back, holding onto my mouth, and trying not to gag. Ayato let out a wicked laugh, and turned to face me.

I wanted nothing more than to put a bullet into him in that moment...But the gruesome sight stopped me. "Not even someone as strong as herself could stop me." he said, walking towards me, his gun pointed directly at me.

I glared at him, clenching my teeth in rage. "You...monster!" I spat at him, and he simply let out another laugh, firing a bullet at the ground beside me. "I like that edge in your voice," Ayato told me, "It allows me to see the fear you're hiding behind that massive ego of yours."

_Like you're one to talk, _I thought, remembering all of the times that he had gloated about being 'God'. "How can you be so heartless?" I asked, getting annoyed by Ayato's constant smirk. "It's hard not to be when you have had your heart ripped from you." he told me, and his smirk cease for a moment...

I raised an eyebrow, wondering if having something from his past life haunt him would give me an edge...But he quickly recovered, and let out a chuckle. "But none of that matters now," he told me, aiming the gun straight at my head, "For I am god..."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the bullet he was about to shoot. Not wanting the same outcome that had befallen Tachi...But I couldn't help myself from sneaking a peek at Tachi...Only to find that she wasn't laying where she had been.

"Now suffer a fate like your Angel friend!" Ayato shouted. For the first time, I was able to grin at him. He raised an eyebrow, and was obviously confused. "I guess you never realized...Tachi wouldn't fall that easily!" I said, and Ayato started to turn...But not before Tachi stabbed her blade through his back and straight through his heart.

Ayato could barely let out a gasp before he sunk to his knees, and then to the floor. Tachi pulled the blade from him, and stared blankly at his limp body. I stood up and gave a sigh of relief. "Tachi...you saved me." I said, giving a shaking smile. "But...how did you survive that hit to the head?" I asked.

Tachi turned around, and whispered: "_Guard skill: Harmonics"_. And, right before my eyes, she split into two. The clone of her looked completely identical, besides the clone's eyes, which were a velvet-red color. "My copy took the blow...And I hid until the right moment." she explained, and the two Tachis' glanced at each other.

I gave a sigh of relief. "Thank god it wasn't you..." I said, "That was a terrible sight...I don't want to ever see that happen to you..." I closed my eyes as the gruesome scene came back to me. Then, suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me. Opening my eyes, I was surprised to see that I was in Tachi's embrace.

"Tomoshibi...Why do you call me Tachi?" she asked me. I was surprised by the question, and I wasn't quite sure how to answer it. "Well...it was just a kind of nickname..." I tried to answer, trailing off. Tachi looked up at me for a moment, and told me, "Please...call me Kanade."

I looked at her for a few moments before nodding. "A-Alright...Kanade." I said with a smile. As I looked down at her, she seemed to have a hinted smile coming from her eyes. Then, a returning question came to my mind. "Kanade...how exactly did you come to the Afterlife?" I asked. She looked downward, and she dug her fingers into my back.

The memory was obviously painful. "O-Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" I began to say, but Kanade placed a finger over my mouth. She then looked up at me, and said:

"I'll tell you...of an Angel's Tale..."

**To be continued...**

**Next Chapter: An Angel's Tale**

**Note: Probably not worth the wait, but, eh...This story started back at the beginning of the series, so there are lots of holes in the plot, which I'll make sure to make up for in my own special way. ;D Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


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